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Banner file photo/Sussman
The newly redone hallways of Eastham’s Elementary School mirror the fact that the project is so near completion but not quite there. |
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School renovation hits financial snags
By Derek Burritt
Banner Staff
EASTHAM — As renovations to Eastham Elementary School drag on towards a substantial completion date of June 15, the school building committee is facing tough financial challenges that are threatening to spiral into a legal battle at any moment.
At its May 17 meeting, board members made a hard-debated decision to re-extend the contract of clerk of the works Chris Lopes from June 1 to June 30 at $50 an hour, but they limited his billable hours to 20 per week. To retain him at his current full-time terms, the board would have had to find $6,500. However, most board members describe the financial condition of the project as “grim,” and they voted 5-2 to remain conservative and save themselves $2,500. The board made its decision knowing full well Lopes will be aggressively seeking other work after May.
“If something came up that filled my financial needs better than the current situation, I would pursue it,” Lopes said at the meeting.
According to the project’s financial report provided by the financial advisor, Susan Hyland, business manager for Nauset public schools, the only areas with substantial money left are in the technology equipment budget, which has roughly $244,779 remaining, and the furniture budget, which has about $67,500 left. At the May 17 meeting, Helman reported that while the money in the technology budget is still unencumbered, approximately $200,000 is “spoken for.” After careful review, Helman said she believed the board could take some money out of the technology budget and still meet the project’s goals.
“I hate to see huge chunks of that money be taken out [for things] other than technology for kids,” Helman said.
Lopes’ contract is one of numerous other items that will hit the project’s budget as it winds to a close. As money gets tighter and tighter, who’s at fault for the costly prolonged schedule has become a hot issue that has resulted in finger pointing at Bay State Contracting. The architect for the project, Jeffrey Davis of Tappé Associates, wrote in a May 16 letter to James O’Neill, project manager for Bay State Contracting, that there are “continued concerns with BSC coordination endeavors between the field and the office,” specifically with subcontractors. All along, Bay State Contracting’s position has been that the number of change orders by the architect and owner to Phase 3 of the project has led to the delays. The architect and school building committee have asked for detailed scheduling reports from Bay State Contracting demonstrating this claim, but to date neither party is satisfied with what they’ve received.
In a May 17 letter to George Reinhardt, chair of the school building committee, Bay State Contracting president R. Russell Geldmacher formally responded to issues raised against his company, with help from his attorney. Geldmacher claims the town unjustly altered the bid contract by making the substantial completion date Dec. 30, 2006, because, he writes, the original bid stated the contractor would have “470 days from the date of commencement work to achieve substantial completion and up to 90 days additional time thereafter to achieve final completion without liability.” Because of an insurance issue that delayed the project early on, Russell claims the actual work commencement wasn’t until Nov. 23, 2005, which, according to the bid terms, makes substantial completion March 3, 2007, plus 90 days brings final completion to June 6. Russell claims there is substantial completion on all phases of the project but Phase 3, in the face of what he says is a total of $600,000 in change orders, none of which, he says, he received time extensions for. Russell also says in the letter that he plans to seek equitable adjustment for the additional costs his company has suffered due to “inefficiencies and under-productivity in labor caused by acts and omissions” of the owner and architect.
At press time, Reinhardt had no response to Russell’s letter.
dburritt@provincetownbanner.com
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May 24th, 2007